Threat Matrix: February 2007

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[Oorang]

Very interesting article regarding Albania. Just a few snips:

SNIP:
In a sworn testimony before the Congress in December of 2000, however, Assistant Director of Interpol’s Criminal Intelligence Directorate, Ralf Mutschke, stated that Clinton's State Department, well before Grassley made inquiries about Albanian narco-politics, had "listed the KLA [in 1998] as a terrorist organization, indicating that it was financing its operations with money from the international heroin trade and loans from Islamic countries and individuals, among them allegedly Osama bin Laden.” Mutschke also confirmed that Osama bin Laden sent one of his top military commanders to Kosovo to lead “an elite KLA unit during the Kosovo conflict.”

SNIP:
Termed "Natural Albania" these territories are to consolidate the Albanian nationalist territorial gains that will make a vast Albanian, and to the delight of al-Qaeda, a Muslim dominated territorial sphere in the middle of Europe, where narco-terrorists will sustain this Albanian state while Islamic suicide killers in it freely plan their attacks on the West.

SNIP:
Recently arrested Doda Luzaj, a Kosovo Albanian that was planning to detonate 2 bombs inside the Montenegro Parliament, was a courier for al-Qaeda according to the Vianna based newspaper Kronen Zeitung. The 2005 Europol arrest of 23 in Netherlands also suggests courier type relationship between Kosovo Albanian mafia and al-Qaeda...

http://www.serbianna.com/columns/mb/053.shtml

[Oorang]

Piece of blade found on Delta flight
Feb 12, 2007

The Transportation Security Administration performed a security sweep of a Delta Air Lines plane at Orlando International Airport last night after an inch-and-a-half long knife blade was found on board.

The blade, which appeared to be a piece of a broken knife, was found by a passenger on Delta Flight 1293 on its way from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport to Orlando, said TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.

The passenger then alerted the flight crew, who called TSA. All of the passengers were allowed to exit the plane and leave the airport, Koshetz said. "It's unusual," Koshetz said of the incident. "We didn't consider it a threat in any way. We ensured the plane was safe for future passengers."

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2007/02/piece_of_blade_.html

Police investigating two works bomb explosions (Illinois)
Monday, February 12, 2007

GALESBURG - Galesburg police are investigating two works bomb explosions reported at 5:37 p.m. Sunday. Dispatchers received several calls regarding "shots fired" in the 200 block of Lincoln Street. Investigating officers found remnants of two exploded works bombs and a live works bomb in the road in front of 228 Fulton St. Firefighters used a pike pole to release pressure from the plastic bottle before disposing of it.

A works bomb is a homemade bomb made from common household ingredients. Although these types of bombs do not cause flames or produce a tremendous amount of heat, they can cause burns or injury to the eyes of a person.

http://www.register-mail.com/stories/021207/LOC_BCC8HDF7.GID.shtml

[Oorang]

Former Ohio Imam Arrested In Israel, Talks To Attorney For The First Time
Jan 11, 2007

CLEVELAND - The former imam of Ohio's largest mosque has spoken with his attorney for the first time since he was arrested by Israel after being deported from the U-S last week.

The lawyer says Israeli authorities are interested in any knowledge Fawaz Damra may have of Islamic Jihad, a militant Palestinian group that has carried out suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israel. The lawyer says Damra is not charged with a crime and is being interrogated. Israel and the U-S say the Islamic Jihad is a terrorist organization.

Damra was deported to his native West Bank by American authorities last week because he concealed his ties to Islamic Jihad when he applied for U-S citizenship in 1994. Damra served as the imam, or religious leader, of the Islamic Center of Cleveland in Parma.

http://www.woio.com/Global/story.asp?s=5924684

Egypt MP says only nuclear bomb can stop Israeli digging
02.12.07

"That cursed Israel is trying to destroy al-Aqsa mosque," Mohamed el-Katatny of President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) told the Egyptian Parliament, adding "nothing will work with Israel except for a nuclear bomb that wipes it out of existence." Other members of el-Katatny's party called to revoke Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3364343,00.html

[Cindy]

YEP, that is interesting, Oorang.
Thank you.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777773/posts?page=621#621

---

Ping.

[Oorang]

UAV tested for border security
Feb. 12 -- The U.S. government is pushing ahead with developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, for land border security with Canada.

Officials of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said last week they would work with the Federal Aviation Administration to impose flight restrictions around a North Dakota air base where the new UAV will be tested.

Excerptd

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20070211-044443-3851r

Britons suspected of fighting with Islamic forces in Somalia returning home
February 12, 2007

LONDON: Four Britons seized in Kenya and suspected of fighting alongside Somalia's ousted Islamic movement were preparing to be deported Monday, Britain's Foreign Office said. The men were seized in January on the Somali border after escaping advancing Ethiopian troops who, together with Somali government troops, ousted the Islamic militants.

At least 10 foreigners were held in Kenyan custody, including the Britons, two Americans, a Frenchman and a Tunisian woman, according to Kenyan officials. Britain's Foreign Office said four men had been handed to officials in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday and would be deported.

A Metropolitan police spokeswoman could not confirm whether the men would be arrested on their arrival in Britain in connection with their activities in Somalia.

Excerpted

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/12/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Somalia.php

[Oorang]

IMO too many ME countries are condemming Israel on the al-Aqsa mosque situation.

Bahrain Shura Council strongly condemns Israeli offences against Aqsa mosque

MANAMA, Feb 12 -- Bahrain's Shura Council Monday strongly condemned the deliberate Israeli assaults against the holy Islamic sites; especially demolition and reconstruction works carried out in the vicinity of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, considering such acts as dangerous hostility against Arab and Islamic nations.

Excerpted

http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=951718

Jordan denounces Israeli excavation near Islamic holy shrines

JORDAN, Feb. 12 -- Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Illah Khatib said on Monday that Jordan "flatly denounced any damage to Islamic shrines in Jerusalem", referring to Israel's excavation near Islam's third holiest shrine al-Aqsa Mosque, local media reported.

Warning against the Israeli continued dig, Khatib was quoted by Jordan's news agency Petra as saying that the Israeli excavation will eventually complicate the current situation in the region. Khatib said that he had sent letters to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to emphasize on the illegality of Israeli practices and its violation to international law and the related resolutions of UN Security Council.

Excerpted

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/13/content_5732520.htm

And the major of Jerusalem relents

Jerusalem’s mayor overrules Israeli PM in mosque controversy
February 12, 2007

JERUSALEM — Jerusalem’s Mayor Uri Lupolianski unexpectedly overruled on Monday Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and suspended permission to repair a ramp near the Al Aqsa Mosque until municipal planners hold public meetings to hear objections to the project.

When Israeli bulldozers and archaeologists entered the area last week, it caused outrage across the Arab world and triggered violent Palestinian protests that were only partially contained by a massive police presence and volleys of tear gas. Muslims call the mosque grounds — Islam's third holiest place — in the Old City the Noble Sanctuary. It was from there that they believe the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.

Lupolianski's order would likely delay the project for several months.

Excerpted

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=9da74b5d-266d-4d05-8a57-6aababbaafa7&k=65901

[Velveeta]

I'd love to see the names of the Congressmen.

[Velveeta]

I was surprised it was 2000 leads.
Goes to show you, there's alot going on out there.

[Velveeta]

Thanks, Oorang
"works bomb"
I hadn't heard that terminology before.

[Cindy]

Yes, there is a lot that goes on out there, too.

In my opinion, what is covered publicly on FR-TM is just a tiny sliver( (like a minute shard of glass) of the global terror-related events/suspicious incidents/communications that take place daily.

[Velveeta]

Navy May Deploy Dolphins, Sea Lions

SAN DIEGO -- Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent on a mission to patrol a military base in Washington state, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, located on the Puget Sound close to Seattle. The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice states. (snip)
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/10992868/detail.html

[Oorang]

Hotel association flays campaign by Islamists
13/02/2007

Manama: Bahrain Society of Hotel and Restaurant Owners (BSHRO) yesterday derided Islamist societies and charity funds for supporting a campaign against hotel activities.

The societies have expressed support for the information ministry's decisions to end "dubious" hotel activities, accusing them of pleasing tourism officials to the detriment of religious values.

Excerpted

http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10103941.html

Egypt frees imam after four years
13/02/2007

Rome: A Muslim cleric freed from prison in Egypt on Sunday four years after he was grabbed in a Milan street in a suspected CIA kidnapping yesterday said the ordeal had made him a wreck. Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasser, also known as Abu Omar, has alleged that Egyptian guards tortured him with electric shocks, beatings, rape threats and genital abuse.

He said he had no plans to return to his former home in Italy to give evidence, as a judge considers indicting 26 Americans on charges related to the kidnapping. "I've been reduced to a wreck of a human being," Nasser told a news agency. "I cannot speak. I cannot leave the country. I don't want to go to prison again." A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Nasser in Italy arising from an investigation into his possible links to terrorist activities.

http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Egypt/10103950.html

[Cindy]

http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/mecca_agreement.pdf

February 12, 2007

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Israel Intelligence Heritage
& Commemoration Center (IICC)

"Initial analysis of the agreement
reached at Mecca between Fatah and
Hamas for the establishment of a
Palestinian national unity government"

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
http://www.memri.org/iran.html

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=syria
http://www.memri.org/syria.html

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=venezuela

===
===

RECAP -- Take another look.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070210/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_iran;_ylt=Ahi7MDD9W3gs3m0uFwGGk2VvaA8F

"Iran, Venezuela to begin direct flights"
Fri Feb 9, 11:55 PM ET
CARACAS, Venezuela -

---

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://osint.internet-haganah.com/archives/000824.htm

February 12, 2007

Iran, Venezuela to begin direct flights

Feb 9 - CARACAS, Venezuela

Iran's national airline will begin direct flights to Venezuela next month in another sign of the two nations' increasingly close ties.
Iran Air will operate a weekly, commercial flight linking Tehran and Caracas in March, the Venezuelan government said in a statement Friday. Flights leaving Tehran will stop in Syria's capital of Damascus on their way to Caracas, it said.

Iran Air opened a new office at the headquarters of Venezuela's state airline Conviasa in Caracas on Friday, and Conviasa will soon open a commercial office in Iran, the statement said.

Iranian Ambassador Abdullah Zifan was quoted as saying that the flight will help strengthen ties between Latin America and the Middle East by facilitating travel and will benefit the many families dispersed across the two regions.

Posted on 12 February 2007 @ 12:31 GMT

[Velveeta]

I agree, but I do think TM has the finger on the pulse.

[Cindy]

Oh, for sure...at least we see the pulse, here.

[Oorang]

Saudis Expected To Buy Russian Weapons
2/12/07

ABU DHABI -- Saudi Arabia has been preparing to accept a Russian offer for arms sales and military cooperation. Officials said the two countries have been discussing defense and military cooperation during the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin. They said a memorandum of understanding on arms sales would be discussed during Putin's visit, expected to end on Monday.

Over the last day, Putin has or was scheduled to meet Saudi King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal. Officials said Putin, the first Russian president to visit the kingdom, was accompanied by a delegation from the state-owned arms agency Rosoboronexport. "Our meetings are very important because they will advance understanding and cooperation between the two countries," Abdullah said.

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2007/february/02_13_3.html

Italy foils 'arms for Iraq plot'
2/12/07

Italian police say they have broken up a major arms trafficking ring that was planning to supply thousands of weapons to insurgents in Iraq. They say the group involved had connections in Malta, Russia, Libya and China and some of those arrested were wealthy businessmen working in exports. This began as a routine drugs investigation. But soon police in the central Umbria region realised they had stumbled across something far more significant.

So far they have arrested 16 people - 12 on suspicion of drug dealing but four on allegations they were intending to supply arms. Police from the anti-Mafia unit say they were planning to move 500,000 AK 47 assault rifles and 10 million pieces of ammunition. The weapons, they said, had been sourced in China during what looked like routine business trips.

The coded emails recovered suggest the weapons were to be moved through Libya and on to Iraq. Some of those arrested are wealthy businessmen involved in the export business, though the Italian ministry of defence says they had no permission to move arms. Police in the Umbrian town of Terni, where the arrests were made, said there was a link between the gang and people working for a senior Libyan diplomat. No weapons were confiscated during the enquiry and it is not thought any had yet been sent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6355101.stm

[Velveeta]

Women of Terror: Dying to Kill
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/103193.aspx


Counterfeit goods are linked to terror groups
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/12/business/fake.php


Islamic terror raid school is shut down (UK)
http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Islamic-terror-raid-school-is-shut-down-newsinkent2859.aspx

[Oorang]

Updates on the Spokane shopping mall incident. Bottom line - they still don't know what it was.

http://www.kxly.com/news/?sect_rank=1&section_id=559&story_id=8447

http://www.krem.com/topstories/stories/krem2_021107_mallgasleak.739f4ee5.html

[Cindy]

Thank you for posting that "Women of Terror:Dying to Kill" article, Velveeta.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777773/posts?page=638#638


Adding on to your post no. 638:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1667976/posts?page=92#92


stepping back in time...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1667976/posts

"Newly founded 'Army of Suicide Bombers' marches in Gaza (Women)"
Haaretz ^ | 7/18/06

Posted on 07/18/2006 12:16:59 PM PDT by areafiftyone